Technical Field
The present invention is generally related to telemarketing and, more particularly, is related to a system and method for selectively providing telemarketers with confidential information.
Background Art
Today many industries including service-provider solicit prospective clients, which hereinafter will be referred to as solicitees, using telemarketers. Typically, a service-provider will provide a telemarketer with a list of telephone numbers for solicitees and a “script” for the telemarketer to follow when soliciting a solicitee. The list is provided to a “dialer,” which calls the telephone numbers in the list, and when the call is answered, the dialer transfers the call to an agent of the telemarketer and may provide the agent with the script. The agent then reads the script to the solicitee.
In some situations, the service-provider also provides the telemarketer with data files for the solicitees, and frequently, the data files include private information about the solicitee. Modem dialers are adapted to store the data files and provide the agent with information from the data files. Typically, the information from the data files will be included in the script read by the agent. For example, a dialer might call a telephone number that is associated with a solicitee, a Mr. Smith, and when the call is answered, the dialer may provide the agent with a script that includes information from Mr. Smith's data file.
Marketing forces push the service-provider into providing the private information to the telemarketer so that the agents can use a “personalized” script. In addition, in some situations, the agents confirm the accuracy of the private information. For example, a credit provider might solicit people that it has “pre-approved”, wherein the people are pre-approved subject to confirmation of information that the credit provider has used to determine that the people have the appropriate credit score. Thus, the credit provider might provide the telemarketer with private information such as financial information, social security number, etc. of the people it is soliciting so that the private information can be verified before the application is submitted. A problem associated with providing the telemarketer with the private information is making certain that the information is kept secure.
In a telemarketing campaign of today, the service-provider or a “script developer” develops a script for the telemarketing campaign. The script is then provided to a telemarketer, who uses the script to solicit solicitees. However, the service-provider or “script developer” is not provided with information that the service-provider or “script developer” can use to interpret the success of the script. Thus, another problem with current telemarketing systems is that there is no real-time control of a telemarketing campaign.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.